Cairistiona
Cairistiona is a predominantly Riversong Elf town in the Riverlands, on the bank of the Uiscan River. It is known for the beautiful landscape and architecture. There is almost always music playing in the town, and it is very lively in the arts. History Cairistiona was founded around Year 7 by the first Riversong Elves. The Elves chose to found their settlement on a cliff edge, in order to protect it from attack, and became successful commercial farmers. Their prosperity saw the rise of a leisure class in Cairistiona, whose energies resulted in a focus on education and fine arts across the cultured city. Although Cairistiona endured upheavals in its ancient past, rebuilding efforts united the city into a harmonious style of elegant, domed architecture and sophisticated culture. Physical description The city of Cairistiona is located on the rich, green grass plains of Marbury Fields, on the banks of the Uiscan River. Aerylune palace is situated on a tremendous cliff near the center of the city, offering panoramic views of the sweeping countryside below. Hidden underground passages connect the castle to several other important government locations within the city. The Cairistiona Funeral Temple resides in a tranquil area of the city, and hosts traditional Riversong funeral rites that saw the ashes of their cremated dead cast into the river. Cairistiona is a cultured city with elegant architecture and unified, harmonious style. Its soaring bridges connecting high spires-within-spires are considered incredible architecture, and its domed buildings maintain a handcrafted aesthetic. From high above, the intricately curved, glyph-shaped streets become clear. Districts * Academic District * Canal Quarter * Melody District * Palace District * Petal District * Promenade District * Temple Quarter * Theatre District Notable residents * Laurlaethee Eventide * Dawn Eventide * Dusk Eventide Points of interest * Academie Arcana * Aerylune * Blackspire * Cairistiona Coliseum * Cairistiona Coliseum Plaza * Cairistiona Funeral Temple * Daenerys Plunge * Eternal Spire * Feathered Tower * Grandstreak Museum of Art * Hall of a Thousand Doors * Harpstring College * Hightower * Invisible Halls * Library of Cairistiona * Library of Mist and Smoke * Lythienne Bridge * Maeralya's Bridge * Mage's Gate * Palace Courtyard * Palace Plaza * Planteria Observatory * Queen's Gate * Queen Soliana's Spire * Royal Boathouse * Royal Gardens * Sacred Falls Pavilion * Silver Fountain * Spire of Dawn * Stone Gardens * The Amethyst Spire * The High Spires * Triumphal Arch * Toppled Tower * Tower of the Moon * White Citadel Culture Education Cairistiona houses dozens of schools, from the sprawling campus of the council-run Academy to small, private classrooms and single-student tutors. Most students begin academic life between twelve and fourteen, and they can apprentice for up to a decade. Promising or particularly bright students quickly rise above such endeavors and soon move to private studies to discover their talents and inclinations. Students commonly transfer from tutor to tutor to find acceptance or a mentor in their specialty. Student life varies but is mostly a tedious academic affair with long periods in quiet libraries among musty tomes only rarely punctuated by hands-on application. Many students stay in Cairistiona to become master mages, researchers, or artificers. Facilities such as the Planteria Observatory, a huge indoor observatory that tracks the shifting constellations, or the Invisible Halls, the academy of glamours accessible only by those granted charms by the dean, attract life-long students who seek to hone their craft in a familiar environment. The Library of Cairistiona always needs more magical scribes and translators in the endless effort to organize its vast holdings. Residents enjoy a busy social season, with exclusive lodges, fraternities, secret societies, and other distractions. Government Cairistiona is ruled by the Royal Family of Cairistiona, headed by the Queen. The Queen is advised by an elected council. Shops & Buildings * Astrologer's Guildhall * Blue Moon Alehouse * Cairistiona Puppet Theatre * Lyresong Music Hall * Silverglass Menagerie * Temple of the Dramatic Arts * The Magestone * The Silk Exchange * Things Familiar * Violet Door Market Known streets * Main Boulevard * Palace Plaza * Street of Glory Etymology Cairistiona (Cairistìona) is a Scottish Gaelic female given name meaning "a Christian". The English equivalent is Christina. The name originated in the Scottish highlands. Notably, there is a traditional song about Cairistiona, which is about lost love. Appearances Category:Cairistiona